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Furnace lane..

Dear Lynn
Thank you for putting the pictures on the site people do seem to be interested I am really pleased.this one of the lane was taken standing more or less on the corner of the front edge of the house as you look at the drawing looking down towards Clifford st the houses that you can see are the later ones that were built if you look on the map you will see them there was about six if I remember right and the high wall is the back of the courts as they went down the hill their entrance was in Guildford st. I hope we will be able to find even more about its history thanks again
Margaret
 
Gower_Street_No_2-_22_Newtown_-_11-3-1968.jpghappy to help in any way marg...i am finding this so interesting and just goes to show that although i was bought up around the area i had no idea that the house existed...here is another pic of the beginning of furnace lane from gower st...quite a few members on the forum remember that cafe..
 
Just noticed the other photos no 3 was taken from gower st to gerrard st as the wall Jutes out that's were our front gate was opposite it ,that has bought back memories where did you find these I've never seen these before
Margaret
 
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Lyn
When you first asked me about this I took a quick look and came to a conclusion, which I now think may be wrong. I did not take account of the fact that local mapmakers around 1833 were not as precise as the later large scale OS makers. There was a building on the 1833 map , but I thought it was off fromn where Guildford house was, but now think this was just error. Below is the map concerned (thanks to Peter Walker) where he has superimposed Fowlers 1833 map of Aston manor on the c1890 map. I have (very roughly) marked Gerrard st in green to enable you to get your bearings. The dotted line to the right of it would be the course of what became Furnace lane. Guildford House is a little off, but, as I say, this would be due to error. Certainly there was a house in close proximity to the spot in c 1833.
Now, following that I looked again at the c 1848 map I mentioned. I still have difficulty in correlating it overall to the modern map, but if we assume Gerome St is Gerrard St (certainly in 1862 it was gerrard st) then you can see guildford house just off the street. I have twisted the map round so that it is approximately in the same direction as we normally see, and marked the "guildford house" in red. Looking at directories. in the 1867 PO directory a Mrs Bodill is thereand it is listed as Gerrard St. In the corporation directory of 1862 it is listed in Gerrard st, but occupants do not seem to be named. The 1849 & 1855 whites directories list it as a private boarding school run by Frederick Ewen, and it is just listed as Aston New Town (no street). The early (pre 1860) PO directories do not cover aston well and seem to have missed it out.
So it would seem that there was a building in that area since at least 1833.

1833_map_super_on_1890_OS2Cshowing_gerrard_st_and_poss_guildford_house.jpg


map_c1848_area_around_gerrard_28Gerome29_st_and_Guildford_house.jpg
 
The second map 1848 is a bit of a surprise. I think it shows what surely must be Guildford House and it's boundary pretty well. Furnace lane is a bit sketchy but can be made out. The area to the right of the Furnace shows development not seen before and it is where the huge mound of spoil used to be.... removed by 1848 if the map is right. And yet no sign of Alma Street or Inkerman at this point. So this would have been a short lived development of roads and dwellings. I think that the map shows a turn in from Furnace Lane to Guildford Ho. if you look closely and this seems to co-incide with a turn in to the remains of the garden on the 1890 OS..at the top most corner of the lot.
I find it hard to orientate the building sketches but the suggestion is that they are views looking south so that Furnace Lane would be to the left and it looks like there was a gate on the lane to the left of the house. So the right of the house is what would be seen past the horse and cart looking down the court Photo. At least I think so. It must have changed a lot over time.
I doubt that anyone trys harder to put all of this old stuff together than we do. We must be the experts by now. I suppose that since much of it has been scraped to the ground...there should be a record of some sort even if some of it is conjecture. I does not matter.
 
excellent mike and i agree with rupert that the 2nd map most certainly shows guildford house so thank you for all your efforts...

as soon as you mentioned the bodhills living there in 1867 i got my memory back...some time ago brassman asked me for help with his rellies who owned the company bodhills in gt hampton row and he had the address of guildford house at that point we could not help him much so i hope that one day he may log back on and see this thread as im sure he would love to see the drawings of the house...here is the link to the thread just to refresh our memories..the old map also proves that guildford st had not been cut so the the street must have been named after the house...many thanks mike..

https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=37532&highlight=guildford+house
 
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Dear rupert
I have just been reading your message and I love the maps I think you are getting the direction wrong the house as you see in the drawings was west to east the right hand side is where the lane ran the gate was in my back garden and ran pararal with gerrard street it had been bricked up but pillars and opening still clear in our day all our front gardens opened in to the lane and I always thought that no 9 the middle one was the main entrance as it had double doors and a large open porch but could have been altered at a later date as you look at the drawing it still had floor to ceiling glass doors all on that side covered with a open veranda ,but perhaps originally that was the main entrance it does look like it by the drawing its a shame we can't find other views of it.
Thanks again
Marg fry
 
Ok, Marg. So the gate and fence would have run along Gerrard which places Furnace Lane, or what was left of it at that point, on the right side of the picture. That makes sense since the address was Gerrard St at the time of the picture and that would be the entrance to the property. So the view in the photograph past the horse and cart would have been from the left of the picture. It may have been a school at the time of the pictures since the figures may be children.

It might be that Furnace Lane was not trodden much in the time of the picture 1833/48 but rights of way being what they are in the uk...would have become more a feature of the terain again later when further development occured. Aston Furnace would not have been an iron smelter then either...and probably quite a different building...maybe wire mill or paper mill and steam power. No more charcoal required.
 
Dear Lynn
Sorry if I am confusing you the 4 that you posted of the lane it's the second one taken from gower st looking. Straight over gerrard st and up to our part of the lane where the wall of the large high building Jutes out that's was opposite our front garden gate hope that makes it clearer. I was looking at the cafe in the 1950 s it was called pats cafe as the people who owned it pat was the daughter and she was a. Beauty queen one day I was in there with my dad and a man talked us into having a monkey off him we were really excited till we told my mom and she went mad so we had to go back and tell him we couldn't have it but with hind site I think she was right funny how things come back to you.also in gower st there was the manor vinegar factory and about 15 yrs ago I had to go to I think it was burnt wood out brown hills way any way in gower st they had really ornate iron gates and that was a really old house as well perhaps that had been a manor house any way they had relocated out there and there was the gates exactly how there were in gower st it gave me a real shock I couldn't believe my eyes .
Margaret
 
thanks marg ive got me bearings now...smashing to read all your memories of the lane and surroundings and yes i bet you had a bit shock seeing those old gates of the vinegar factory again...please keep them coming..i think mikejee has a little more info on guildford house which he will post when time permits...

lyn
 
I have looked at the Birmingham Post (up to 1900) to see if there were mentions of Guildford House. There are several, and the major ones are reproduced below.
The house is first mentioned in 1860, when it is described as being in Gerrard St. In April they are looking for a housemaid and a 15-16 year old boy for a gentleman's school. By May they have found the housemaid, but are still looking for the boy. In August two of their pupils are listed as being successful in the Oxford Middle examinations (which are probably like O-levels, or whatever thing has now replaced them, while in September they are looking for a lad to clean boots and knives and dig in the garden. Maybe the other one couldn't stand it there, or they did not find one in the requisite age group.In December there are two adverts with slightly different wording for the school's reopening after Christmas (below).
In 1862 one person matriculated at the University of London exams, Algernon Ewen, presumably the owners son, and in 1863 it was noted that "more than one" pupils from the school took the Oxford local exams.
In January 1864 an advert for "Cambridge House school, Hagley Road is placed, which states it has removed from Guioldford House (below). I would guess it moved over the Christmas holidays.
By February 1865 William Bodill occupies the house, and the death of his son is recorded. However in july 1865 there is a report (below) on the inquest into the death of William and committal of two men responsible for his manslaughter as a result of injuries received on 21st May when he tried to evict them from the grounds of Guildford House. It must be said that William does appear to have not been completely blameless. However, presumably because william at least partly brought it on himself, the charge was not proceeded with and a few days later they were discharged.
Finally in August 1869 there is the report of the marriage of the daughter of H N E McEvoy of Guildford House

B_Post_25_12_1860.jpg


B_Post_14_1_1864.jpg


B_post_6_7_1865.jpg
 
hi astoness the house in the back ground is number 9 furnace lane i used to live there marg fry lived next door to us at number 7a.
 
wow..excellent newspaper digging mike thank you so much..william bodhill is an ancestor of one of our members so i am hoping he picks this thread up..

hello mary great to have another member posting who lived in guildford house after it was split into 3 seperate dwellings...hope you are enjoying the research that is being done on the house...

lyn
 
Hi Lyn, I am back !!!

I am just so fascinated to see all this information on this feed and to see the pictures and maps showing where my great great great grandparents lived is just fantastic. And thank you so much for remembering me with the mention of “BODILL”

Regarding Rupert comment

“The second map 1848 is a bit of a surprise. I think it shows what surely must be Guildford House and its boundary pretty well. Furnace lane is a bit sketchy but can be made out. The area to the right of the Furnace shows development not seen before and it is where the huge mound of spoil used to be.... removed by 1848 if the map is right. And yet no sign of Alma Street or Inkerman at this point.”

This reference to “Alma” and “Inkerman” are of course from the battles of the Crimea, September and November 1854, so surmise that these streets were built and named post 1855

Regarding William Bodill, he was a bankruptcy court messenger, and as we know was killed in June 1865 close to, or in the grounds of Guildford House and indeed was recorded as living at the time at Guildford House on his probate record.
His wife Ann Bodill (nee Rogers) was recorded as living there in the 1867. I don’t know, and am having trouble finding out, when she died but I do know that she was bore 27 June 1803 so wonder if after the School moved in 1862 the Bodill’s bought Guildford House.


Well done everyone … it’s just so fascinating....

Thanks again Lyn

Adam
 
The Aston Brook site states that the Crocodile works was built on land purchased in 1860 on the recently constructed Alma St. So the latest date for Alma St would be 1860
 
happy to help adam...glad you like the info we are finding out about the house..

lyn
 
hi here are 3 pics of number 9 furnace lane 1 is of the frount garden 2and 3 are the back garden in the back ground you can see the terrace that leads to guildford street .
 

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Dear Mary
Pictures are great you have a good view of the terrace from your photos,was that your cat or was it ours if it was his name was Horace
All the best
Margaret
 
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